But I’ve learned even more by studying website copy. I dissected the copy and learned why some copy smells fishy, and why some copy enthralls. I learned why some copy bores me and makes me click away, and why other copy pulls me in and seduces me to buy.

Today I share 21 great copywriting examples from my swipe file. Whenever you get stuck with writing, return here to find that spark to start writing your own copy.

Shall we begin?

1. Basecamp

Good copy starts with understanding how your product or service helps your customers, as Basecamp shows:

Basecamp helps you wrangle people with different roles, responsibilities, and objectives toward a common goal: Finishing a project together.

2. Firebox

FireBox copywriters have a knack for finding problems you didn’t even know you had, and then offering you the perfect solution:

Keeping warm is no mean feat when the merciless chills of winter start creeping in. You can clutch onto a smelly hot water bottle that’ll be cold in less than an hour; shuffle round in a pair of slippers, layer on a multitude of hats and scarves or just give up and crawl back into bed.

Now a distinctly more toasty solution has popped up – the Toast Heated Pillow. Snuggle and squeeze this super-sized (and very smiley) slice and he’ll keep you nice and cosy for up to 4 hours.

3. Gov.UK

Good writing is simple, but not simplistic.

The website of the UK’s government keeps content to the point, helping readers get answers to their questions quickly:

You don’t pay duty or tax on goods you bring in from the European Union (EU) as long as you:

transport them yourself

will use them yourself or give them away as a gift

have paid duty and tax in the country where you bought them

4. MailChimp

Ever gasped for air while reading Terms of Use? Or check the box without reading?

Using plain English, clear headers, bullet points, and explanations in the side bar, MailChimp makes reading their Terms of Use almost a pleasure:

1. Eligibility

In order to use MailChimp, you must:

be at least eighteen (18) years old and able to enter into contracts;

complete the registration process;

agree to the Terms; and

provide true, complete, and up to date contact information.

5.Evernote

Evernote‘s copy is also simple, engaging, and focused on the benefits of their products to you as a reader:

Everything in Evernote instantly syncs across any computer or phone you use. Start working on one device and continue on another without ever missing a beat.

6. MAG International

The content of UK-based charity MAG International makes us imagine what it’s like to live in a land contaminated by cluster bombs, land mines, and mortars. A mix of facts and emotion makes their content persuasive:

Imagine if, somewhere outside your front door, there is a powerful explosive weapon waiting patiently for you, or a member of your family, to disturb it.

Because it’s buried, or perhaps hidden from view, avoiding it is a constant game of chance. There could be one of them, there could be 100. You don’t know how many there are and neither does anyone else.

Every day millions of people live with the threat of landmines or other unexploded weapons on their doorstep.

And, each day, nine people are killed or suffer horrific injuries because of landmines or abandoned weapons left behind after war.

7. Innocent Drinks

Good copywriters sell products, but great copywriters turn simple products into an enchanting experience. Note how Innocent Drinks associates a simple drink with a holiday feel. They smartly mix facts and emotion—a persuasive recipe:

There are times when you fancy a bit of extra sparkle with your refreshment. So allow us to introduce innocent bubbles tropical – a delicious, lightly sparkling blend of pure pineapple, orange and grape juice, spring water and absolutely nothing else. It’s a bit like a posh holiday in a can, only without the pesky sand. And with one portion of fruit and only 90 calories per serving, it’s the bubbly way to get one of your 5-a-day.

8. Sofa.com

Try a more conversational tone. The people at Sofa.com sound like people you’d like to meet:

not convinced yet? – oh dear! You’re a tough nut to crack. Why not come and see us at our showroom in Chelsea or Bath and try one for size?

9. Ann Handley

On a product page you don’t want to sound like a sleazy sales man; and on an About or Speaking page, you don’t want to sound like a hyped up PR person.

Ann Handley strikes exactly the right tone. Here’s one of the reasons why she’s a sought-after speaker:

She’s fun. Your audience won’t be bored. The best testimonial here would be the one from Ann’s then 14-year-old daughter, who said (after listening to her speech): “I thought I’d be bored, but instead I’m ready to go create some content!” Your audience is probably more receptive to Ann’s message than the typical teenager. So there you go.

10. Fiftythree

Weak copy is full of marketing blurb. In contrast, persuasive copy is infectiously passionate. Fiftythree designs and manufactures styluses for iPad. Using short sentences and simple words, they convey their passion:

WE MAKE STUFF. Beautiful, practical, meaningful stuff. We make what we love. We ❤ what we do.

But over the years, we noticed that somehow, along the way, software designed to help us be creative actually made us less creative. We believe the best ideas often emerge from the simplest tools: pencil and paper.

11. Man Crates

Man Crates ships “bragworthy gifts for men.” What I love about their site is that they speak strongly to a clearly defined audience:

You just spent Thanksgiving at your vegan in-laws’ house. You did things you told yourself you never would, things you’ll probably never forget. Maybe for a moment, you were almost fooled by the yeast gravy and tofu turkey. But you survived.

Come back to us. Dial in the Slaughterhouse Crate for an immediate and full recovery of your carnivorous manhood.

13. Dropbox

Dropbox targets a wider audience than ManCrates and J Peterman, but they sound helpful, friendly, and full of empathy:

Even if your computer has a meltdown or your phone goes for a swim, your stuff is always safe in Dropbox and can be restored in a snap. Dropbox is like a time machine that lets you undo mistakes and even undelete files you accidentally trash.

Gary Waterfield started the company in 1998 with these principles which still guide us today:

Make products you can be proud of

Treat people with respect

Exercise kindness—we’re all human

Aside from leading the design process, Gary often jumps in to answer customer e-mails, sharpen the leather splitter, or fix the copy machine.

16. Hiut Denim

You won’t find empty phrases on Hiut Denim‘s site either. This Welsh jeans manufacturer writes honest copy full of passion:

Do one thing well

We make jeans. That’s it. Nothing else. No distractions. Nothing to steal our focus. No kidding ourselves that we can be good at everything. No trying to conquer the whole world. We just do our best to conquer our bit of it. So each day we come in and make the best jeans we know how. Use the best quality denims. Cut them with an expert eye. And then let our ‘Grand Masters’ behind the sewing machines do the rest.

There is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from making something well, of such superior quality that you know it is going to stand the test of time. It makes the hard work and the obsessing over each and every detail worth all the effort. That’s our reward. That’s why we stick to just making jeans. Yup, we just make jeans. That’s all folks.

(hat tip to Sonja and Sharon at Valuable Content who drew my attention to this website)

17. Brew Dog

Your voice sets you apart from the competition, and pulls your fans closer to you.

Scottish micro brewery Brew Dog don’t have shareholders, but equity punk investors; and their beers are called Five AM Red Ale, Dead Pony Pale Ale, and This. Is. Lager. Here’s how they describe their first beer Punk IPA:

THE BEER THAT BEGAN A REVOLUTION.

Our scene-stealing flagship is an India Pale Ale that has become a byword for craft beer rebellion; synonymous with the insurgency against mass-produced, lowest common denominator beer. Punk IPA charges the barricades to fly its colours from the ramparts – full-on, full-flavour; at full-throttle.

18. Sketchbook Skool

Sketchbook Skool‘s decision to replace the “ch” in “school” by a “k” was a branding masterstroke. But what I like even more are the infectiously enthusiastic descriptions of fakulty members (with a k of kourse!):

People have been begging Tommy Kane to share his drawing secrets for years. How does he combine intense observation, manic crosshatching, and insane hilarity in every drawing he does? For the first time ever, this legendary New York creative illustrator and art director will reveal the secrets that have made him an internet sensation — here and only here at Sketchbook Skool.

19. Psychotactics

Testimonials are often plonked on pages without any thought. They’re so superficial and sugary they don’t add any credibility. Sean d’Souza at Psychotactics is a master at using testimonials to help overcome specific objections:

Before I purchased The Brain Audit, I thought this is just crazy, I’ve got so much marketing material that I still haven’t implemented.

But right from Sean’s first story and metaphor, I could see this was different. I was hooked.

20. Unbounce

Unbounce sells landing page software. They use testimonials and case studies for credibility. Note how specific this quote from a case study is:

We were able to test our way from a 5% conversion rate, all the way up to 20%. Without driving any more traffic, our client is getting four times the leads that he was getting before.

21. Tuft & Needle

Great copy goes together with great marketing—with knowing why you’re in business. Mattress manufacturer Tuft & Needle have a good story to tell:

JT had just gotten married and he and his wife set out to buy their first piece of furniture together–a new mattress. The search began at local mattress showrooms; vast fields of mattresses neatly laid out under the buzz of fluorescent lights. Pushy salesmen pushed them to buy a fully loaded, feature-rich memory foam mattress. For $3,300 it should have been the pinnacle of comfort, but it wasn’t. To make matters worse, the return policy rendered it impossible to return. It was like car shopping. Actually it was worse than car shopping.

The truth about writing seductive web copy

Writing good copy doesn’t start with knowing the right words and improving your use of punctuation.

Good copy starts with understanding your customers and knowing why they choose you rather than millions of others.

What a great list. I always enjoy your examples and the way you illuminate them with your analysis. I just went to check out Mailchimp’s T&Cs and you’re right, they’re strangely pleasurable. So clear and engaging (!) – their use of “we” and “you” instead of “company/client” makes such a difference to the explanation. Who’d have thought it of T&Cs? I ended up reading the entire page. (I should probably get out more – but I have to go swipe another two or three of these sites first.)

Well, yes, it’s far more difficult to write our own copy than to write for clients. I totally agree with you. I’m not sure what the answer is other than trying to treat ourselves like our favorite clients. Perhaps exchange copywriting tasks with a friend, and write each other’s copy?

If it’s one thing I can sure improve my copywriting skills! These are some great examples and #8 really caught my eye. I like the idea of sounding more conversational when it comes to selling any products or services to my audience. But as you said at the end of the post writing good copy is about understanding your customers and why they chose you over the bazillion other people that’s selling the promoting the same or something similar.

Hi Henneke, Thanks for these examples, a pleasure to read! I stumbled across a page with some great copy on it today, you may enjoy it too – very direct and honest: http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/about Have a great day 🙂

The first three paragraphs… oh my goodness, that is SO. me. Thank you for this resource list that I can refer back to whenever I am in dire need of inspiration. ManCrates sound like the lovable Old Spice commercials of Isaiah Mustafa– I can feel the humorous, endearingly deliberate man-puffing from the other end of the computer screen, lol.

Aaaaah! What a joy to read these words. Thanks Henneke. I never cease to be delighted at the power of words and what they can conjure up. My particular favourite wordsmiths are the guys at Ground Effect in New Zealand. I get the catalogue just for the copy – although they do have wicked cycling gear at the right price. ….. Here’s how they describe one of their jackets and a summer weight top.

A hot ‘n’ cold top that propels you at the speed limit across the gap between summer and winter. Its WindFoil™ softshell front takes the edge off a chilly headwind while the Heatwave™ Merino sucks sweat off your body. Wrap your meringue around that.

and this

Pair the Over Easy with your favourite baggies and a big breakfast. Then hit the trails. Its relaxed fit and HyperActive™ fabric ensure you keep your cool and don’t end up with egg on your shirt.

Yes, I like that! They definitely know their target audience, too. I like this: “Pair the Over Easy with your favourite baggies and a big breakfast. Then hit the trails.” Nice, non-salesy way to set the scene and make us feel like cycling. 🙂

I loved reading this post. So much useful information and sources to read. One point that I zeroed in on is using we and you. I’m in the process of updating the brand for my Etsy Shop and was debating on using customer vs. you/we. I know now that I’m using you/we. I also, liked the idea of sharing webcopy writing tasks with someone. It seems easier. Sounds a bit silly after I wrote that, but I think it is. Though after reading this post I’m encouraged that I can write my own also.

Thank you for your dedication to helping our content become engaging and useful to our readers!

Seems to me some of the best writing puts the reader in the picture. The landmines one, for instance, starts out asking the reader to imagine how it would feel if they had to worry about stepping on a landmine every day. I also liked the Hiut Jeans one. They promoted their product brilliantly, but stayed humble.

Thank you for the post. It was great. I find myself searching out other sites to learn too. Analyzing what I like and what catches my eye, helps me to figure out what others might like too. Its refreshing to know that others feel the way that I do. You can never learn too much or know everything! Thank you! Jeanne

I read a lot of copywriting books also, but website copy is something much different. And the time I spent learning, and still learning, how to do it, the more it amazes me. From the examples you had there, there are many to like:

– Apples poetic wordplay – Evernote’s simplicity

But I like J. Peterman’s stories. Even though I never buy, or have ever bought, anything from there, their stories are fascinating and engaging.

I find it a lot of fun to read good copy. Whenever there’s a new Apple product, I like seeing what they’ve written – even if I don’t want to buy the product. And J. Peterman is indeed a delight for browsing around – like you, I’ve never bought from them either.

“But I’ve learned even more by studying website copy. I dissected the copy and learned why some copy smells fishy, and why some copy enthralls. I learned why some copy bores me and makes me click away, and why other copy pulls me in and seduces me to buy.”

Those whose copy enthrals their readers, also “read piles of books with copywriting tips”.

I was about to buy a book on copywriting, but wanted to check out some free resources on the internet before doing so. Your blog post Henneke was the first I decided to read. I considered myself lucky and really enjoyed the examples. They really gave me some more inspiration for my own writing. Thanks for sharing. By the way, instead of buying a book I check out more of your articles and I’m confident to find some more golden nuggets 🙂 All the best!

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